Forgotten Words
by HetaliLove
Summary: Scipio had his secret revealed and she had her past unopened. Now will Prosper and the rest trust them or will Scipio and her just have to say goodbye to everything forever? Chapter 7 now up. ScipioOC. MovieBook verse. I gave up on this story for now!
1. A New Way of Life for Penelope

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A New Way of Life for Penelope

Penelope DeLuca and her little sister, Bianca had lived at the Merciful Sisters orphanage ever since their parents had died in a strange fire that destroyed half of their lives. Ever since then, Penelope looked out for her little sister. Now, at 16, Penelope wanted more. She loved being outside because it gave her the feeling of being free and one day, all her plans came to fruition. She was sitting on the windowsill, staring at the gondolas, motorboats in Grand Canal when she let out an audible sigh. Bianca heard it and put down her book. She had been reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in Latin for the past two weeks and still hadn't finished it. Penelope looked at her sister who was walking towards her and shook her head. Bianca moved up to her sister and said, "You want to run away and become a thief, don't you, Penny?"

Penelope looked at her sister with a shocked look and responded, "How did you know, Snow White?"

Bianca giggled and whispered, "Because you have that determination look in your eyes. It says that you want a huge adventure." Penelope sighed and tried to face the truth. She answered quietly, "I am planning to run away tonight after curfew when the sisters aren't watching every minute of the day." Bianca nodded as if she understood but Penelope could see that Bianca would never understand what she was just about to do. An uncomfortable silence passed between the sisters, and then Bianca broke the silence by saying, "But, what about me? Are you going to take me with you?"

Penelope looked at her sister's pleading face and she replied, "No, I am not going to take you with me. It's going be dangerous and I don't want to worry about your safety." As Bianca's face fell, Penelope added, "I will come back eventually."

Bianca asked, "Penny, who is going to help you out there?"

Penelope smirked, "Belladonna."

Curfew came pretty quickly after her chat with Bianca. At midnight, Penelope climbed onto the windowsill and opened the window. She was ready to go when a pale hand stopped her. She turned around and saw her sister. Bianca said, "Don't go, Penny!"

Penelope whispered, "Go back to bed. I will come back, eventually." And with those words, she slipped out of the window to let go of her past forever. Meanwhile, the figure cloaked in black was leading Prosper and Bo along dark and damp alley ways and then he said, "Gentlemen, my humble abode……The Stella- our star lair." He rang the doorbell and while they were waiting, Scipio decided to explain the rules to the newcomers, "Strictly no grown-ups allowed. Are you a grown-up? Only some of them are very small. You wouldn't be trying to trick me on my own turf, now, would you?"

Bo responded, "I am six and a quarter." Scipio removed his mask and said, "That makes you a V.I.P, then," just as the door opened. A short, spiky-haired kid with really bad teeth stood there and he said, "You give me the willies every time you're late. What are they doing here?"

Scipio said, "They need my help, just you once did, Riccio, dear boy." He pushed them into the long and dark hallway. Prosper looked at their guide and asked, "Are you thieves?" Before Scipio could answer, Riccio butted in, replying, "Not just any thieves. Scip's the Thief Lord, the greatest thief in Venice." They walked into a dark and empty cinema. Scipio turned on the lights and Prosper and Bo saw the cinema in all of its glory. A black-haired girl leaned over the rail and she said, "Two o'clock. Typical. Steal a watch next time. We were going to send a search party."

Scipio looked up at her and he said, "This little fellow got a nasty cough. Do you have anything for it in your medicine cupboard?"

The girl looked uncertain but she said, "I'll check."

Mosca sat up in his bed and he asked, "Who are they?"

Scipio looked up at the black boy sitting up in his hammock and he replied, "They're friends of mine. They need to crash here for the night. Enough?"

Riccio muttered, "Here comes Matron with her magic potion."

Hornet fixed Riccio with a steely gaze and said, "It's okay. I don't bite. I'm Hornet. You're burning up. Here, take this." She gave Bo the medicine while Mosca came out with a sack. He said, "This is the wardrobe. Help yourselves." Meanwhile that was happening at the Stella; Penelope had dragged herself to Belladonna's hotel, hoping to get some comfort. Belladonna Mancini was the hotel's owner, manger, and ….she lived there. She was the reception desk, answering phone calls, when she saw Penelope come in. She rushed to Penelope's side and walked the shivering girl up to her bedroom. "Well, I am certainly surprised to see you here, Penelope DeLuca."

Penelope looked at Belladonna and she asked, "Bella, can I stay with you for a couple of days, please?" Belladonna had to ponder such a request for she had a brother who wasn't nice at all. Finally she replied, "Of course, you can stay here for as long as you like, but you have to promise not to come down for breakfast, for I am afraid that my brother Enrique will see you." Penelope nodded, looking as ecstatic as ever. Then her face got serious and she asked, "Bella, do you have a black silk cloak, and a black boots?"

Belladonna looked puzzled, not knowing where the adventurous 16 year old was leading the conversation, "Yes, I do but why do you need the items?" Then reading the expression on Penelope's face, Belladonna gasped, "You want to become a thief."

Penelope replied, "Well, not exactly a thief. A street-musician." Belladonna hesitated in giving her most prized possession to this snobby, little girl but then she decided for the better. She fetched the items from her closet and handed them to Penelope who slipped her petite feet into the knee-length black boots and put it on the silk black cloak. Belladonna stepped back to admire the effect, but then she muttered, "Needs something extra. Where did I put it?" Penelope was sitting on Belladonna's bed, watching the owner of this swanky hotel run about. She was looking for something important; Penelope could see that in the way her feet had moved. "Aha, found it!" Belladonna's voice was muffled in all of the clothes. She pulled herself and the guitar. Penelope's mouth fell open at the sight of the electric guitar. Belladonna looked pleased with herself, "Nice outfit, but what are you going to call yourself?"

"Call myself? What ever do you mean, Bella?" Penelope looked at Belladonna with surprise because her question had caught Penelope off guard.

Belladonna smacked her head and she replied, "Thieves nor street-musicians should use their real name while stealing or playing music. If I remember correctly, you used to worship gryphons. Maybe 'Griffin' should be your new name, my dear."

Penelope swung the guitar on her back and replied quietly, "Yes, it should be my new name. Bye, Bella." And with those words, she walked out of the hotel. Belladonna looked at the distant figure and sighed, "That girl is going to get into serious trouble one day." Meanwhile Scipio, Hornet, Mosca, Riccio, Bo and Prosper were speeding through the Grand Canal because the police were on their tails. Prosper yelled over the roar of the engine, "Shouldn't we stop?"

Scipio scoffed, "And what? Ruin the fun?" Then he said, "Watch this," as he pulled a rope. Suddenly a boat fell on the water with a thud on the water, forcing the police to stop. Griffin, who wasn't paying any attention to what was happening on the river, plopped down on the siding of a bridge, pulled out her guitar and began playing the most lovely tune. Prosper heard the melody first, "What or who is doing that?"

Scipio looked at Prosper with amusement and he said, "What do you mean? Neither one of us can play the guitar at all." Then a saintly, virtuous, flawless voice filled the air like a nightingale and this everyone heard it, even Scipio who was saying that he can't hear it, but he could. His eyes fell on a figure sitting on the bridge strumming the guitar. "Who is that?" He thought. They stopped the boat to see who it is and to introduce themselves. The person must have seen them coming for she stopped playing and swung the guitar on her back. Riccio run up to her and he said, "I am Riccio. Who are you?"

The figure said, "I am no one to be trifled with."

Scipio walked up to the figure and he said, "Who are you?"

The person was definitely getting irritated because she sneered, "Who are you to order me around?"

Scipio replied in the same tone, "I am the Thief Lord."

The figure laughed, "The name's Griffin. Don't wear it out."

Hornet asked, "Who are you?"

Griffin answered politely this time, "I am a street- musician, can't you see? I believed you already knew, because you had heard me sing."

Scipio said, "Come on, you guys. We have to go back to the Stella." At the mention of the theatre, Griffin looked Scipio right in the eye. Griffin waved, "Ciao!". As she turned around, to go back to the hotel, she felt someone's eyes on her back. She sighed and kept on walking.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARCTERS FROM THIEF LORD BUT I DO OWN PENELOPE AND BELLADONNA AND BIANCA!


	2. Prosper's Discovery

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARCTERS FROM THIEF LORD BUT I DO OWN PENELOPE AND BELLADONNA AND BIANCA!

Chapter 2

Prosper Discovers a Shocking Truth

Griffin held on tight to her guitar which was slipping off her back and her shoes were falling off her delicate feet as if they were too big for her and her cloak was getting under the heels of the tall, black boots. She had to get to Belladonna's hotel quick because her clothes needed to be repaired. The cloak and the shoes needed to be mended to fit her, because she kept slipping out of the clothes.

Griffin also almost lost the electric guitar because she was too skeletal. Well, if you looked at the girl, you would have seen nothing than skin and bones, because she never ate at the orphanage, for the food at the orphanage was absolutely sickening, from her point of view. Although her diet gave her a gorgeous and slender body with long, curly black hair that went all the way down to her knees, she still hated her skeletal look in the mirror.

She reached the hotel and walked in. Belladonna raised her eyebrows and said, "I am not even going to ask. The clothes are too big for you, eh?" Griffin nodded slowly and serenely, as if nothing had happened while she was gone. Belladonna sighed, "Listen, I will mend them to fit you perfectly. You can, if you want, of course, order room service and eat all you want, because my goodness, you're basically nothing but skin and bones. What did you do at the orphanage?"

Griffin replied, "They gave us horrible food, but my sister seemed to like it. I hated it and so I didn't eat. During lunch, I hung out a lot with Ida Spavento, the photographer who came once in a while to the orphanage."

Belladonna was puzzled, "Listen, wander around Venice tomorrow but make sure you bring something back to me. I don't go out very often and while you're wandering the city, I will take your shoes in to the shoemaker and get new ones made."

Belladonna gave Griffin a light of hope about her dreams, and she asked, "What about the cloak?"

Belladonna responded, "Now, my dear, all in due time. Your cloak will be taken care of by a dressmaker that I know. She does gorgeous cloaks, dresses, shoes, even. When I get your shoes from the shoemaker, I will bring them to her and she will decorate with sapphires and diamonds so then your boots will be the most expensive boots in Venice." Griffin's eyes got huge like dinner plates.

Meanwhile Griffin was talking nonsense about diamond boots, Scipio and the rest of the gang were back at the Stella with Scipio carrying a bag filled with gold and jewels. He dumped the bag on the small, wooden stage in front of the movie screen. Bo picked up a silver soup spoon and asked, "Is it gold?"

Scipio grinned and said, "Gold, silver, glittering jewels plucked from the grown-ups."

Prosper came up behind Bo and looking up at Scipio who was now standing up, looking at Prosper with an innocent grin, said, "Put it down. They stole it." Mosca and Hornet came up to the stage to examine the stolen treasures and suddenly Mosca said, "Boy, they're going to catch you one day, Scip."

Scipio looked at Mosca with a serene expression and replied, "Take this stuff to Barbarossa and try to get a decent price this time."

Mosca responded, "How? He just laughs at us."

Hornet added sarcastically, "The fat pig."

Bo, who quiet up until now, whispered, "Prop can do it. He's great at selling things."

Prosper, who seemed to know where this was heading, nudged his little brother and said, "Hey."

Bo continued, obviously not paying attention to Prosper's nudge, "One day, when we were selling my old toys at the second- hand shop, they tried to give us peanuts, so Prop went like a stone, so they gave us lots more money." Hornet, Riccio, Mosca and Scipio had been listening intently to the 6 year old and all of the sudden, Scipio said to Prosper, "Ok, you try. And if you can outfox the old scoundrel, you and your brother can stay here for as long as you like."

The next day, Riccio was carrying the bag filled with the stolen treasures, leading Prosper to Barbarossa's. As they neared the souvenir shop, they could hear two voices. "I said three thousand or no deal." This voice was an angelic voice veiled with anger and sarcasm.

"And for the five hundredth time, I am not offering a penny higher than two hundred, Signorina DeLuca." This was the voice of a greedy business man with too much money in the safe. They walked in and Barbarossa saw them and said, "Wait here, Signorina."

Griffin looked at Barbarossa and she replied, "I don't wait." But he had all ready gone out of the office to meet Thief Lord's negotiators.

He smiled and said, "What are you smiling at, Hedgehog boy? Never mind. Go to the office and don't touch anything."

Prosper raised his eyebrow at Riccio and whispered, "What a rude man."

Riccio snickered, "I call him fat, oily, slaphead slimeball." Prosper tried to hold his laughter, but then he looked at Riccio and saw the desire in his eyes. Riccio was looking at a diamond earring, but before he could pocket it, a hand reached out and that same angelic voice said, "_Scusi_! Watch your fingers." Then Barbarossa came back in, swaggering past the cluttered-up shelves. He sighed, apparently exhausted, "_Signorina_ DeLuca, my final offer for this exquisite pair of earrings is 2,000. Agreed?"

The girl sitting beside Riccio replied angrily, "NO! I said three-thousand or no deal. Understood?" Her voice sounded very angry and she was emitting negative waves that Riccio turned around and recognized her from last night, only now she didn't have the cloak, the shoes or the electric guitar. Prosper recognized her also and said, "Hi, Griffin."

The girl turned to face Prosper and her temper had cooled down and she said, "You're Prosper and you. You're Riccio, the poor kid with bad teeth."

Barbarossa said, "Signorina DeLuca, I'll take the offer but in exchange…"

She had cut him off and responded, "Oh, no, I am not exchanging anything or anyone, _Signor_ Barbarossa. I want the money and you want the earrings."

Barbarossa replied, "Oh all right. Here's the money and go now." But Griffin stayed where she was. Barbarossa rolled his eyes and turned to Prosper and Riccio and said, "All right, let the dog see the bone." Prosper dumped the bag's contents on the mahogany wooden desk and sat back down. Barbarossa picked up the sugar tongs, examined them and said, "There are a couple of decent items here, so I am going to offer a hundred, which is very generous. Let's just say I'm in a generous mood today.

Prosper replied serenely, "A thousand or no deal."

Barbarossa looked baffled and he responded, "Have you lost your mind, boy? I make you a generous offer-too generous and you insult me with fanciful nonsense. Tell the Thief Lord to send the boat boy or the hornet girl if he wants to continue doing business with Ernesto Barbarossa"

Prosper said, "I am the Thief Lord's official negotiator now." He began gathering the stuff into the bag and Barbarossa, watching everything vanish into the bag, said, "300 for the lot. Most of it is rubbish."

Prosper stopped and leaned on the desk and replied, "Eight."

Barbarossa remarked, "Four."

Prosper responded, "Seven."

Barbarossa said, "Four seven five."

Prosper grinned and replied, "Six eight seven and a half."

Riccio and Griffin, who were watching this, were both puzzled. Riccio whispered to Griffin, "I wonder what he is going at?" Griffin shrugged, mystified by the action unfolding before her eyes. Barbarossa laughed, "You're a clever lad. So I am going to give you five hundred. That is the last time I'll let you treat me like a child."

Griffin tried to keep her laughter and she said, "Signor Barbarossa, you are a grown-up shopkeeper and still you act like a child. You are a disgrace. You, Signor Barbarossa always explode with temper tantrums like an atomic bomb." Riccio and Prosper exchanged looks as they walked out of the office. What was Griffin up to? Barbarossa frowned and said, "Fine, boy, your friend has just convinced me that I act like a child. So I will give you six hundred." Riccio's eyes went big in disbelief. Griffin stood there, smirking behind Barbarossa. As they headed out, Barbarossa grabbed Riccio's and Prosper's shoulders and chuckled, "One more thing. A client of mine is looking for someone who will procure a certain item for him."

Riccio remarked, "Well, if he's sick, why doesn't he go to the doctor's?"

Barbarossa replied, "He's looking for someone to steal something for him. Is that clean enough for your mucky ears?" Riccio nodded but Barbarossa didn't notice and continued on talking, "And tell the Thief Lord, there's big money in it for him. Ok?" They were walking all together, Prosper chatting with Griffin and Riccio staring excitedly at all of the _pasticceria _shops that they were passing. "So, how did you manage to trick the scoundrel to give me more?" Prosper asked Griffin.

She replied, "I have my ways of capturing a person's heart and make them believe me."

Riccio heard that and he inquired, "Scipio might want to meet you, perhaps, Griffin?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders and replied mysteriously, "Maybe we've met before." Riccio exchanged glances with Prosper. He shrugged and Riccio, not convinced, turned back to face the most beautiful cake in the whole world. He yelled, "Hey, Prosper, Griffin, take a look at this. We should celebrate." The two walked back to Riccio, but what they weren't aware of a detective watching them. Victor Getz was hired by Esther Hartlieb to find her nephews. He was standing behind a telephone booth, watching them. Victor saw a spiky-haired kid standing with the nose on the window of the pasticceria across the street. The kid yelled something to the two kids in front of him. Victor stopped writing and decided to listen to what the kids were saying. Riccio said, "Look at this gorgeous cake."

Griffin replied, "Riccio, that is a gorgeous cake, indeed! What do you think Prosper?"

Prosper responded, "I think, we should get the money back to the others." They stood there, admiring the strawberry cake, and since they were so engrossed in the cake, they didn't hear Victor come up behind them and put a hand on Prosper's shoulder and said, "You are Prosper, son?" Prosper looked at Victor in horror and ran as fast as possible away from Victor. Riccio butted Victor in the stomach and followed Prosper. Victor looked at the black-haired girl standing in front of him and he asked, "What are you going to do me?"

Griffin scrutinized the detective and replied, "Nothing, for I would get in trouble with my guardian, Signor."

Victor sighed and ran after Riccio and Prosper with Griffin following him. Meanwhile Riccio and Prosper were exhausted from all the running and Riccio said, "I think, you were trying to nick our money."

Prosper scoffed, "And what? Leave my brother behind?"

Then they heard a whisper, "Prosper? Riccio? Where are you guys?"

Riccio whispered back, "We're hiding from the snoop. Why are we whispering anyways, Griffin?"

She said, "Because the snoop is after you. I thin he spotted you. Hurry up!" Riccio pulled Prosper along and they saw Griffin standing there, checking her nails. When she saw them, she said, "_Andiamo_! Who is that anyways?"

Riccio answered her question, "Victor the snoop, they call him."  
Prosper was amazed, "A real detective?"

Griffin said, "Come on, let's go on that _vaporett _that's leaving. We have to jump!" They jumped, leaving a confused Victor on the shore. Riccio yelled, flailing his arms, "Hey! Hey!" Griffin and Prosper tried to keep his arms down for they were afraid of the snoop remember voices very easily.

Glossary for the Italian Words

_Andiamo_- Let's go!

_Vaporett_-waterbus

_Pasticceria_-pastry shop

_Signor_ –Mr./Sir

_Signora_-Madam/Mrs.

_Signorina_-Miss.


	3. Rekindled Friendship

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARCTERS FROM THIEF LORD BUT I DO OWN PENELOPE AND BELLADONNA AND BIANCA!

Chapter 3

Rekindled Friendship

"You were amazing, Griffin." Riccio said, after they had outrun the snoop. Griffin looked at Riccio and grinned at him. Riccio continued, "Seriously, I still think, Scipio should meet you." Prosper nodded and the two boys watched the brunette, waiting for her reaction, but to their surprise, she turned on her heel and walked off towards a huge hotel. Riccio and Prosper realized that they weren't going to get an answer, so they ran to catch with her. Griffin stopped and replied, in Italian, "Forse, Scipio ed io mi sono incontrato già, ma non li ho detti già?"

Riccio understood everything, being a native Italian, but Prosper had to ask Riccio what she had said. Riccio answered Prosper's question, "She said that maybe she and Scipio had met already and she already told us that." They gave Griffin a curious look. The girl walked into a store and walked out 10 minutes later, wearing a long black vampire cloak that fluttered in the icy, cold wind like a crow lifting off the ground. She turned on her heel and vanished into the hotel, without even saying as much as a good bye to Riccio and Prosper.

Riccio looked at Prosper who shrugged his shoulders and the two boys walked back to the Stella in silence. When they got there, Riccio started screaming around, "We're back……………With a lot of money." Hornet walked up to them and took the money and counted it under her breath. Mosca asked, from his seat where he was working on a projector belt, "How much?"

Hornet replied, thunderstruck, "600."

Mosca asked, with eyes as wide as plates, "600?"

Hornet nodded, "Yeah." Just at that moment, Scipio walked in to find everybody thunderstruck, and Riccio and Prosper acting all perfect. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked, curiously looking at everybody.

"Scipio! You'll never believe it. Prosper got the redbeard to part with all this money." Hornet thrust the money at Scipio. He took the money and counted everything, while walking towards the stage. He turned around calmly, and said, "600. We should have a celebration."

Scipio gave 100 to Riccio and said, "Hurry back, I don't have much time." Riccio ran off with the 100 and came back carrying a huge bag filled with salami, olives, and mandorlati, those candies that Scipio adored. Hornet, while Riccio was gone, had lain out a blanket and pulled out the tall, red glasses that Scipio had brought on one of his previous raids. They were all sitting on the blanket, when Riccio couldn't hold the news in, "On our way back to the Stella, Barbarossa told us something very interesting."

"What's that?" Scipio asked, spitting a pit from an olive into his hand.

"A client of his is looking for someone to steal something for him. He said that there is big money involved." Riccio was now jumping up and down.

"'A thief shouldn't get too greedy or they will get caught.' Plus I think, we should get a break." Scipio said, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, yeah and Barbarossa said that I should bring him your answer tomorrow." Riccio continued.

"Well…okay. Tell Barbarossa that I will do it." Scipio replied calmly and quite openly, "But now I have to go. Wait before I go, can I ask, how did you two get so much money from Barbarossa?"

Prosper answered, "We were helped by Griffin and now apparently we know her last name."

Riccio butted in, "It's DeLuca." Scipio nodded and vanished.

Meanwhile there were festivities at the Stella; there was sadness at the Hotel del Grande Canale. Penelope felt she was a bit too mean to Prosper and Riccio but she had to protect her secret. Belladonna noticed that the young girl looked quite sad, so she came to sit with the girl. She asked, "Darling, what's wrong?"

Penelope responded with tears swimming in her eyes, "I was perfectly mean to two of my new friends and now I don't think they like very much."

Belladonna looked concerned, "Do you think that this might have anything to do with that boy who used to be your best friend?"

Penelope had stopped crying and shrugged, "I don't know, Bella. Listen, I am probably going to go and apologize for my hurried behavior."

Belladonna replied, "Well, see you later this evening." The brunette waved and walked out of the room, leaving a slightly dazed Belladonna sitting shiftily on the bed, thinking. "Now what was the name of that nice boy? Andre? Alexandro? Scipio??"

Penelope had walked out onto the rooftop of the hotel. It was her favorite spot in the whole building, mainly because the hotel was tall and looked out on all different directions. It was quiet, private and forgotten. She loved to sit there and stare out towards the direction of the Merciful Sisters orphanage every single day. Penelope muttered to herself, "I wonder, what Bianca's doing?" She sighed and remembered the charred family photo on the mantelpiece of the burned house.

On it, her parents Alexia and Philip were smiling and both had their arms around 3 little kids. Dominick, her older brother was wearing his hockey uniform and grinning happily. Two little girls had their arms around each other and they looked quite happily. On the back, there was an inscription and it said 'Be happy while you can. - Alexia, Philip, Dominick, Penelope and Bianca DeLuca.'

Now, 6 years after the picture had been taken, Penelope sat on the rooftop and she could feel tears running down her face. She began singing softly under her breath, "Think of me, think of me fondly, When we've said goodbye. Remember me once in a while - please promise me you'll try. When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free - if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me. We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea - but if you can still remember stop and think of me. Think of all the things we've shared and seen - don't think about the things which might have been. Think of me, think of me waking, silent and resigned. Imagine me, trying too hard to put you from my mind. Recall those days look back on all those times,  
think of the things we'll never do - there will never be a day, when I won't think of you."

Scipio heard her sing and he followed her voice which was leading him off his course for his house. He walked up to the rooftop and saw his old best friend, Penelope sitting there singing. He applauded quite loudly. She turned around in surprise and let out the breath she was holding in relief, "I thought you were Belladonna, Scipio."

Scipio walked over and sat beside his best friend. He pretended to be surprised, "Well, look who it is. My old best friend, Penelope DeLuca. What happened to you these past 3 years?"

Penelope laughed, "Consider it, being cooped up in an orphanage after a fire destroys the life that you've been dreaming of. But how's it going with you?"

Scipio looked at the girl skeptically and replied, "Nothing much, raids every week and a new assignment that I just accepted." HE looked up to see Penelope giving him a dirty look. Scipio went pale and continued, "Of course, now I don't have a nanny because I stole the sugar tongs..."

Penelope interrupted him, "So those were your sugar thongs that Prosper and Riccio sold to Barbarossa. I knew it."

Scipio looked at his best friend and nodded, "I stole the sugar tongs and my dad thought it was the nanny, so he fired her this morning."

Penelope patted Scipio on the shoulder and then she said, amused, "Listen, what do you call yourself now? What game are you playing now?"

Scipio removed his mask and scowled at her, "I call myself the Thief Lord and this isn't a game, Penny."

Penelope leaned against the chimney and she responded, "But what will happen if they found out that all you are is a crafty liar?"

Scipio looked Penelope in the eye and whispered, "They won't, trust me."

Penelope looked at Scipio and sat up and nodded, "I'll make sure they won't." The two best friends sat up all night on the rooftop, catching up on old times, but little did they know, their long-lasting friendship had set the foundations for their destiny.

Author's Notes:

- The translation may not be exact, but anyways this is what I was trying to translate 'Maybe, Scipio and I have already met, but didn't I tell you that already?'

Plus, I know this chapter is a little bit shorter than my other two chapters. So enjoy this chapter!

R&R, everybody!

Love ya'll, OliverWood'sBiggestFan


	4. The Conte and Victor's Discovery

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARCTERS FROM THIEF LORD BUT I DO OWN PENELOPE AND BELLADONNA AND BIANCA!

Chapter 4

The Conte

The next morning, Riccio had gone to Barbarossa's in order to give him the Thief Lord's answer. On the way there, he passed the Hotel Del Grande Canale and on the stone steps of the hotel, he saw Griffin flipping through what looked like a photo album. He noticed that she was wearing black and had 3 bouquets of roses in her arms. Riccio waved and said, "Hey, Griffin." She stood up and dusted off her black, sun-skirt. She replied, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear, "Hello, Riccio. Where are you going this on a lovely Sunday morning?"

Riccio laughed, "I am going to Barbarossa's to give him the Thief Lord's answer for the job. Where are you going this early?"

Griffin responded, her eyes flashing, "The cemetery."

Riccio looked at her as if she had said a bad word, and asked, curiously, "Why the cemetery?"

Griffin's face became stony and her voice had buried sorrow as she answered, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Riccio responded, "Okay. Well, see you." He waved bye to her as he turned the corner. Griffin raised her hand in goodbye but Riccio was already gone. She walked, tears running down her pale face and into the blood-red roses. After her visit to the cemetery, she went back to the hotel and pulled out her photo album and her scrapbook stuff.

Meanwhile, Riccio was with Barbarossa saying, "The Thief Lord accepts the job."

Barbarossa replied, "Good, that will please my customer." He pretended to be obsessed with something on his desk. Riccio asked, "When can I come back?"

Barbarossa said, "I need to let my client know. You know, he has no phone and no means of communication."

Riccio asked again, "When can I come back?"

Barbarossa replied, "Check every day. Now shoo!" Riccio walked out of the store and started walking towards the Stella. Meanwhile, Griffin had finished her family and friends scrapbook and now she was looking at the pictures of her mother, father, brother, sister and her best friends. She stopped on a picture of a girl with short red hair and brown eyes. Penelope muttered, "What happened to you, Taylor O'Hara?" but then her eyes fell on a newspaper cutting that said 'Family dies in car crash'. Penelope read slowly under her breath, "A car crash of '03 killed a family of 3 and a driver in the other car. The police have only identified the family. Taylor, Christina and Jared O'Hara are the victims of the fateful car……." She couldn't believe it. Her eyes filled with tears yet again, for another treasured family member was dead, and with those tears, she pasted the newspaper cutting beside the picture of her much-loved cousin. Belladonna heard sobbing coming form the poor girl's bedroom and she walked in to find Penelope on the floor crying. "What's wrong?" Belladonna asked, trying to soothe the girl.

"Oh, Bella, now I am finding out everything and now I am realizing that if I am not careful, I could lose you, Bianca and my best friend." Penelope sobbed into the handkerchief that Belladonna handed her.

Belladonna hugged Penelope and whispered, in her ear, "Now, now, calm down, dear." Penelope was a nervous wreck all week. Meanwhile, Riccio and Prosper were at Barbarossa's shop, waiting for an answer. Barbarossa was plucking the hair from his nostrils and Riccio was enjoying it quite a bit because he was imitating the redbeard with painful emotions. Prosper was trying to keep form laughing. Barbarossa turned around and said, "My client will meet the Thief Lord in the back left confessional of the Basilica San Marco and Conte likes to shroud himself in mystery."

Riccio asked, "Is he a real Conte?"

Barbarossa replied angrily, "ARE YOU DEAF? OF COURSE, HE IS! DIDN'T I JUST TELL YOU THAT?"

Prosper said, "No need to fly off the handle."

Riccio asked, "When are we to meet him?"

Barbarossa responded, "Three o'clock tomorrow in the afternoon. And I have the right to fly off the handle whenever I feel like it. Now you and your snotty little friend can tag along but your leader has to be there in person."

Riccio responded, "Scip- I mean the Thief Lord won't like that at all."

Barbarossa came close to Riccio and said, "Won't he? Well then, he'll have to live with it otherwise he doesn't get the job."

The next day, Scipio, wearing the mask and the boots, led the group though the crowds on the St.Mark's Square towards the Basilica. They didn't know that they were being followed by Victor Getz, the detective. The group walked past the fountain and settled down on the other side of it. "Now, we have to wait for Griffin." Scipio said impatiently, checking his watch.

"No need to wait for me, when I am already here." They looked around for a familiar figure but instead they saw a girl with oversized sunglasses and blond hair. "What are you wearing and what's with the blond hair?" Scipio and Hornet asked in unison.  
"Hey, it's a tourist disguise. I also colored my hair last night." Griffin said, defending herself.

"Okay, now that Griffin is here, Prosper, Mosca and Griffin go with me." Scipio said, seriously and quite arrogantly, "The rest stay here."

Riccio and Bo were protesting madly, "Hey, I want to come too!"

Scipio replied, "I can't show up with my whole entourage, now, can I?"

Griffin said, "I can stay here. Riccio can go in my place."

Scipio turned to Griffin and responded, "No, you are coming with me." He turned and began walking followed by Mosca and Prosper. Griffin turned to look at Riccio and she shrugged, but then Scipio noticed that she wasn't with them and he turned and yelled, "Are you coming on not?"

Griffin yelled back, "Yes!" and ran as fast as she could to catch up with Scipio, Prosper, and Mosca. She turned and waved to Hornet and Bo because Riccio was too upset to even talk to anybody. They walked into the church and Mosca said, staring at the mosaics on the ceiling, "I don't like churches. They give me the creeps."

Griffin shivered, "I haven't been in a church for three years. Scipio, where are the confessionals?"

Scipio was also shivering but he confidently he led them towards the confessionals, "They are this way." They walked into the first confessional on the left and got themselves comfortably positioned or in Griffin's words, horribly squished. Scipio stood at the front of the group while Griffin, Mosca and Prosper were excruciatingly squashed into the back. "OW! Get off my foot, Mosca!" Griffin was trying to push herself to the front to stand beside Scipio when the curtain on the other side opened and Griffin stopped trying but still standing in very uncomfortable position. Scipio perked up at the voice of an elderly man, "One shouldn't wear a mask in a church, Thief Lord."

Scipio replied, "One shouldn't plan a theft in a confessional and that's we're here for, right?"

The old man chuckled and responded, "So, you are the Thief Lord. Very well, keep your mask. I can still see that you are very young."

Scipio felt insulted, but he said, "Yes, and you are very old. Does age matter in this transaction?"

The Conte replied, "Not at all. So…" he coughed and continued, "Signor Barbarossa has surely told you that I am looking for someone to retrieve something for me- something for which I have searched for many long years."

Scipio felt interested, and he asked simultaneously as Griffin, "What about the payment."

The Conte laughed and then replied seriously, "Ah, I see you're a businessman, Thief Lord. Your payment will be 50,000 payable upon delivery."

Scipio tried not to stutter but he managed to keep his voice normal, "50,000? That sounds like a reasonable price."

The Conte said, "That what you are about to steal is of great value only to me. It is made not of gold nor of silver, but of wood."

Griffin asked, "When should we deliver it to you?"

He replied, "As soon as your skills permit. I am an old man. I have one wish left in this world: to hold in my hands that which are you to steal for me."

Scipio asked, curiously, "How will I know how to find you?"

The Conte responded, "You will find everything you need in this confessional when I have left. Send word of your success and you will receive a letter from me the very next day at Barbarossa's. " Then the curtain fell back down and the door of the confessional slammed shut. Mosca and Prosper were counting to 50, while Griffin try to calm Scipio down, because he was shuddering from shock. "48….49…50! Let's go!" Mosca said. Griffin reached into the other part of the confessional to pull out a huge basket and an envelope. Scipio took the envelope from her and stuffed it into his jacket and Mosca took the basket. "Be careful. There is something inside that basket," said Griffin, gingerly handing Mosca the basket.

Mosca said, taking the basket and putting it on one of the pews of the cathedral, "There's something in there, all right. Maybe a snake."  
Scipio looked inside, seeing as he was the bolder one of the group, and said, "Well, it's a pigeon." Meanwhile Mosca, Prosper, Griffin and Scipio were inside the cathedral, Hornet had settled on the fountain with her book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She said, "Bo, stay within here." The angelic blond boy nodded at her and began walking around. Victor Getz spotted him and decided on a last-minute plan. He bought some bird seed and became a human scarecrow, with pigeons everywhere. Victor, being a detective, decided to go easy and said, "Buongiorno. What's your name, kind, fellow, noble knight?"

Bo smiled, "Bo. What's yours?"

Victor answered, "Vic….." Damn, he almost gave the little one his real name.

Bo said, "Victor?"

Victor replied, lamely, "I am a victim of circumstances." He spat and continued, "All these rotten pigeons."

Bo nodded and Victor said, "Hey, you know what, I live in a hotel near the Grand Canal. What about you?"

Bo proudly answered, "In a cinema."

Victor looked puzzled, "You live in a cinema? What, so you can watch movies all day long?"

Bo sadly said, "No, the projector's broken but Mosca's trying to mend it."

Victor asked, feeling curious, "Oh. Yeah, what's it called?"

Bo shook his shoulders and replied, "I forget."

Victor, feeling sorry for the little kid, knelt down and asked, "Wouldn't it be nice if you had a proper house to live in? I mean, don't you have any relatives who could take care of you?"

Bo replied calmly, "There's my aunt Esther but she's not nice and she never smiles."

Victor, who had just noticed Prosper and the rest come back, said quickly, "Uh, uh, you're telling me. Listen, I have to go. It was nice talking to you." He stood up and left. Prosper ran over to Bo and took him back to the fountain, where the rest stood waiting. Scipio asked Bo as he lead the others to a mask shop, "This Victorthingummy, what did he ask?"

Bo replied, hiding himself behind Prosper, "He asked me my name."

Griffin looked at Bo with sadness and asked him, "Did you tell him?" Bo nodded, scared. Hornet asked Bo, "Did you tell him anything else?"

Bo responded, "I don't know." He looked up at Prosper and asked, "Did Aunt Esther send him?" Prosper shrugged. Bo continued, "But he was friendly."

Prosper began scolding his little brother, "Bo, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't talk to strangers!"

Scipio looked outside the window and asked, "What was he wearing?"

Prosper replied, "Blue jacket and a red cap."

Bo added, "And his watch had a moon on it." Scipio looked at Griffin and saw his own idea reflected in her eyes. She said, "I have an idea. Prosper, let Scipio borrow your jacket. Scipio, put it on. Everybody, as soon as we have him distracted, run. Hornet, you will wait behind one of the columns on the St. Mark's Square." As she said, she was transforming herself as well, taking off the weird sunglasses, removing her coat and her blonde wig. She and Scipio walked outside and stared at the gondolas, while Scipio tied up his shoe. She said, "Do you have a watch, Scipio?"

Scipio replied, "Nope. Hey let's go ask that man." He ran off and that's when the rest headed for the Stella. Penelope followed him as he made his way to Victor. She asked, "Scusi? Can you tell us the time, please?"

Victor responded, "Why, it's a quarter to four."

Scipio grabbed his hand and said, "That's a truly remarkable watch you have there. Does it tell time on the moon too?" Victor snatched his hand back form the boy and looked at him with suspicion. Scipio grinned and motioned to his mouth. Victor understood and fled. Penelope and Scipio ran into the other direction and cut Victor off. Scipio said, "Everything is ship-shape and Bristol fashion with your false beard now." Hornet walked out and threw herself onto Victor, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Let go of me! Let go! Help!" and as little old ladies began beating Victor with their handbags, Hornet took his wallet and vanished.


	5. Meeting Ida Spavento

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Thief Lord or any of the familiar characters! I only own Penelope/Griffin, Belladonna, Bianca and the two nuns.

Chapter 5

Meeting Ida Spavento

At the Stella, everyone was exhausted but quite happy that they escaped the snoop. Well, all except Penelope. She was sure that the snoop would be back to take Bo back to his stuck-up aunt and his wolf of an uncle. Hornet said, "I nicked the snoop's wallet, Prop, so you can find out more about the snoop."

Prop mumbled, "Thanks."

Griffin and Hornet asked, as Prosper pulled out a card with his aunt's name on it, "Is that your aunt's?" Prosper nodded. "Esther and Maximillian Hartlieb are looking for your brother here. So, I am guessing that they must have hired him to find Bo than rather looking for him themselves." Griffin said.

Prosper asked, "How do you know that?"

Griffin shrugged and responded, "They are staying at my godmother's hotel." Prosper nodded and then turned to Scipio.

Scipio pulled the wrinkled envelope from a pocket inside his jacket and slit it open with a sharp pen-knife. He pulled out a photograph and a letter. He put the photograph down, unfolded the letter and read it, "_The wing in the photograph is the counterpart for the wing that I am looking for. The pigeon's name is Sofia and she's a friendly and dependable creature. Stake out the house and send me word of your success." _

Bo, hearing the pigeon's name, said, "Sofia, do you like kittens?"

Hornet asked, "How much is this job going to make us?"

Mosca replied, "50,000."

Hornet said, looking at the photograph, "Impossible. 50,000 for a wooden wing? We must be missing something."

Scipio put his jacket on and said, "Stake out the house and we'll meet you there Wednesday at 1:00 o'clock."

Riccio said, "Who 'we'?"

Scipio responded, "Me and Griffin. I am going out of town for a few days."

Griffin said, "I have work that I have to do out of the country." They waved as the two left. Scipio and Penelope walked out and started laughing. Scipio asked, "Are you really going out of the country?"

Penelope scoffed, "No. Are you going out of town?"

He chuckled and replied, "No." He took her hand and the two of them walked towards the hotel where Penelope lived hand in hand. They arrived and she saw her godmother Belladonna and a few nuns talking. She gulped and whispered, "What are they doing here?"

"Who?" Scipio asked.

"The nuns from the orphanage, where my sister and I lived." Penelope whispered back. She let go of his hand and walked confidently up to her godmother. Penelope asked, curiously looking at the nuns and her godmother, "What happened?"

Belladonna replied, looking at her and then at Scipio who was leaning by the door, "Well, the nuns have some bad news and some good news and I also have good or bad news. Dottore Massimo asked me to give Scipio some disciplinary schooling and I think that you should get it, too, Penelope and Mother Bernadette will be teaching you."

Scipio strode over, his hands in his pockets and asked, "My father asked for disciplinary schooling?"

Penelope said, "That's good news, but what are the bad news and the good news from the orphanage, Mother Bernadette?"

The matronly-looking nun sniffled sadly and responded, her head drooping, "Your sister is dead. That's the bad news."

Penelope felt hot tears pierce her eyes and she bowed her low, sobbing quietly as she asked, "Dead? Of what?"

The young nun, Sister Louise, said, "Your sister had very horrible bulimia, and she got pneumonia a few weeks ago. So that, on top of her bulimia and heart problems, drove her to death."

The matron, Mother Bernadette looked at the poor girl and said, "I know, Miss DeLuca, it's a tragedy. She was so young, only 13, and her life had been taken away from her in one simple minute." Penelope cried only harder. Her body shook as she sobbed into the lacy handkerchief that Belladonna handed her but she managed to keep her voice under control and whispered to Scipio, "I am glad you're with me, Scipio, to help me go through this horrible death."

Scipio put his arm around her to comfort her and whispered, in her ear, "Hey, that's what best friends are for. She was the only family you had left and now you've lost her too. Don't cry, Penny. Everything will be okay and I will be with you. Who knows, one day, you're going have to move on with your life." But she refused to listen to him, pushed him away from her, and ran as quickly as she could up the stairs to her bedroom. Scipio recoiled from the push and asked Belladonna, "She will be okay, won't she?"

Belladonna, who had just closed the door after the nuns, turned to Scipio and replied, "I don't know, I don't know. Listen, why don't you go home now?" Scipio nodded and left silently, the wind around him disturbed by the sobbing girl in the hotel. He arrived home and walked up the grand staircase to the balcony above his father's office. As he stood there, Scipio saw that his father had guests and he heard his father say, "My son is nothing more than a minor nuisance. My brother, who is a retired army general, will be moving in to take care of his education and also I asked Signora Mancini to take care of his discipline." Scipio felt smaller than a flea.

A few days later, Prosper, Hornet and Riccio were waiting in front of Casa Spavento staking out the house. Hornet asked, "Do you think, she's home?"

Prosper responded, "I don't think so."

Riccio, looking everywhere, spotted the housekeeper and said, "There's the housekeeper. I'll go and do my magic."

Hornet grabbed his shoulder, and whispered, "Shouldn't we wait for Scipio?"

Riccio tore himself away and said, "Who cares?" He strode toward the housekeeper, whistling and knocked over her groceries. The housekeeper looked at him as she was ready to burn him down to ash and said, "Watch where you're going, you little thief. What are you trying to do, steal my groceries?"

"No, maam! I am just looking for Doctor Spavento. Is that his dentistry there?" Riccio replied, smiling with his horrible teeth.

The housekeeper's face softened and she said, "No, that's Signora Ida Spavento's house. Although, you do look like you need a dentist."

Riccio picked up the fallen grocery bags and asked, "May I help you carry these groceries?"

The housekeeper replied, "Well, what a gentleman." He rushed off towards the house but before he disappeared behind the gate, he gave Hornet and Prosper a grin of success. Hornet and Prosper followed him along the newspaper stand until the man who ran it began yelling at them, "If you want to buy a newspaper, stay. Otherwise get out. You're disturbing my valuable customers." Ida Spavento appeared from behind, reading a newspaper. She looked at the man with a surprised look and said, "They are not disturbing me."

The man responded, looking Ida Spavento up and down, "Whatever you say, signora." He turned around and disappeared back behind the stand. Ida asked, looking around dreamily, "So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, we're just waiting for our friend." Hornet answered.

"Getting into trouble, are you?" At that same moment, Riccio appeared eating a giant sandwich. "We're not allowed to do anything without the permission of our mother," he innocently said with a full mouth.

"Ah, I was always getting into trouble when I was your age, The thrill of exploring the unknown." Ida said.

Prosper, who was carefully listening to the conversation, spoke up, "That's what my mother used to say when she was alive."

Ida's face got serious and she said, "Well, then, you must miss her very much." She walked off towards her house and Riccio, Prosper and Hornet headed back to the Stella. When they came at the Stella, Prosper ran the bell. Bo opened the door and said, "Prop!"

Prosper was ready to kill Bo because he replied, "Bo! Who told you to open the door?"

Bo responded, "Mosca is fixing the projector with Victor and he told me to open the door."

Riccio burst in, ran through the whole theater and said, "Mosca, how dare you let him out? He's our prisoner!"

Mosca tried to calm Riccio down by replying, "Riccio, calm down. Victor gave me his word of honour that he wouldn't run away."

Bo stepped in front of Victor and stated with his arms crossed, "Victor is our friend now!"

Riccio screamed, "Friend? Are you barmy, you silly baby?"

Bo looked insulted and he said, "I am not a silly baby and Victor is our friend! SO THERE!"

Mosca looked around and asked, "Where's Scipio and Griffin?"

Hornet replied, "They never came."

Victor chuckled, "Oh, I know more things than you will ever know about your Thief Lord."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Riccio asked and before Victor could reply, Riccio punched him in the nose. Prosper and Hornet grabbed his arms before he could attack again. Bo handed Victor a white, laced handkerchief. "Well, aren't you the temperamental one? Go to Fondamenta Bollani. His house is the biggest there."

That's it for Chapter 5! I am not going to be updating for a while now because I am leaving for a week.

So everyone read and review.

Love y'all, I-am-afraid-of-crazy-medic


	6. Secrects Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own Thief Lord or any familiar characters

Disclaimer: I do not own Thief Lord or any familiar characters. I only own the plot, Penelope, and Belladonna.

Chapter 6

Secrets and Thefts

Penelope, after three weeks of moping in her room, finally came out, frail and super thin. The only thing that a person could see was skin and bones. Belladonna, who stood at the golden glinted reception desk, looked up to see Penelope trudging with her feet even barely moving and tugging on a fluffy blue jacket. "Oh, no, you don't. You are not going out as you are." Belladonna muttered. Penelope stopped trying to put on the jacket and she looked at Belladonna with begging eyes. "No! You look ill and it's better if you stay here and rest." Belladonna said soothingly.

"No, Belladonna, I have to move on with my life, like Scipio said. There is nothing I can do now. She's dead." Penelope responded, as she finished putting on her jacket. She looked at Belladonna with one last look, before the door slammed shut.

Meanwhile, Riccio, Prosper, Bo, Mosca and Hornet were slowly walking to Fondamenta Bollani, when Prosper spotted a girl with long black hair and a fuzzy blue jacket walking towards Fondamenta Bollani. He ran over and asked, "Do I know you?"

The girl replied, "Yes, you do. Griffin."

Prosper was amazed and he said, "Wow, we haven't seen you in three weeks. Where are you going?"

Penelope responded, her face emotionless and simply staring ahead, "Fondamenta Bollani, where my friend Scipio lives." The others ran over to them and they were all amazed at how good Griffin/Penelope looked. They all walked in silence until Penelope speeded up and vanished around the corner. Prosper exchanged glances with the rest and Riccio said, "Why is she in a hurry?"

Meanwhile, she stood at the door to Scipio's house, waiting for the maid to open it. When the maid did open it, she asked, "Who are you?"

Penelope replied, "Penelope DeLuca. I have to talk to Scipio. It's very urgent."

The maid, Aula, asked, "Is this some stupid mischief?"

Penelope looked horrified and she responded, "No, Aula, I used to live next-door." The maid smiled and let her in. She said, "Penelope, I will get Scipio down here for you." She grinned and nodded. After a while, Scipio came downstairs and he was surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?" Scipio questioned, as he sat down beside her.

Penelope answered, "Two things. One: Your secret is about to be revealed because Prosper, Bo, Riccio, Mosca, and Hornet are coming here. Two: I am glad that you're my best friend."

Scipio frowned and said, "What?"

She replied, "I know. Your secret is about to reveal itself and to not make them mad at you; I'll reveal mine as well."

Scipio smiled at her and said, "Do you want to play the piano duet that we used to play?" She nodded and they both ran upstairs to the piano room. At that very moment, the gang came to the doors of Scipio's house. Prosper asked, "Who's going to ring the bell?"

Bo said as he rang the bell, "I will!" and he instantly hid behind Prop. The maid, Aula, opened the door, and asked, "What do you want?"

Prosper summoned up all his courage and asked, "Signora, do you happen to know a boy called Scipio?"

Aula said, "Yes, what do you want with him?"

Bo peeked out from behind Prosper and said, "We were supposed to meet him today. We're his friends: Prosper, Bo, Mosca, Riccio and Hornet."

The maid softened under Bo's charming grin and she responded, "Come in. Only two." She held up her hand when the rest tried to come in. The last thing Prosper saw was Hornet's worried face before the door clanged shut. Bo ran over to the fountain and he yelled, "Hey, Prop, look at this." Prosper looked over at Bo and suppressed a smile. They heard footsteps coming down the stairs, but instead of Scipio, they saw Griffin aka Penelope. "What are you doing here?" Prosper asked, jumping up from the bench.

"I had to talk to Scipio about something." She replied, smoothing her long black skirt and sitting down beside Prosper. At that very moment, Scipio showed up and as soon as he saw Prosper and Bo, he ran up the stairs as quickly as he could. Penelope followed him and Prosper and Bo followed her. Scipio bumped into his father, who scowled and said, "Scipio, don't you have a lesson this evening? Who are these ragamuffins? And who is the girl?"

Scipio replied meekly, "Yes, but not for another hour. They are my friends and the girl is my childhood best friend, Penelope."

"Thank goodness, you uncle will be here soon. How do you expect to be army material if you keep hanging around hooligans such as those three?" Penelope put her arms on her waist and felt insulted. Scipio watched his father exit the hallway into another room and Scipio crumbled onto a bench. "Scip, it will be okay." Penelope sat down beside him and put her arm lovingly around his shoulder.

Bo asked, looking at Scipio with disgust, "Was that your dad? Have you got a mum as well?"

He pushed Penelope away and replied, nodding, "Yes, but she travels a lot." Penelope walked away and sat in the window, staring out at the canal outside of the house. Scipio said, "I can get away tonight. They are leaving anyways. Everything stays as planned for the break-in tonight."

"So, you've never done a break-in your whole life? All that loot was taken from this house, wasn't it?" Prosper asked, shaking his head sadly.

Before Scipio could reply, Penelope answered, wrapping her arms around her knees, "Yes, all but the sugar thongs. I gave the sugar thongs to Scipio for his 14th birthday, a month before it happened."

Prosper didn't hear her answer and said, "You just one day probably said to yourself 'let's play street kid for a while' and we were your fools." He slowly turned to Penelope and asked her, "What happened to you? Why are you supporting him?"

She answered, her sobbing voice muffled in her skirt, "I am an orphan. I support Scipio because he is the only dear person left in this world who can understand all of me."

Prosper shrugged his shoulder and said, "So?"

She continued, "My parents, and my older brother, Dominic, perished in fire a month after Scipio's 14th birthday. He was the one who helped my little sister and me to go through that. Until a month ago, I was cooped up in The Merciful Sisters orphanage with my little sister. Then I escaped, took on the Griffin persona and became a street-musician. Now Scipio is the only person left who I can trust, because…." At this moment, her tears could be heard by everyone in the room, "my sister, Bianca is dead."

Prosper replied, "Wow, your story is even more tragic than mine." He took Bo's hand and walked out the door where the others were waiting, hopeful. "It's our Scipio." Prosper answered Riccio's hopeful glance.

"What?" Riccio asked, flabbergasted.

"We also saw his dad……" Bo added, his eyes flashing. As he was about to add something, Prosper slammed his hand over Bo's mouth. "What?" Mosca asked.

"Scip doesn't have a dad." Riccio replied.

"And we also met Scipio's 'girlfriend', as well. Guess who she is?" Prosper said, flinging his arms to the side.

"Who?" Hornet asked, feeling a little jealous of the lucky girl because she had a crush on Scipio but never told him. Her love consisted of admiration from afar. "You'll never believe me. Griffin lied to us also. She's the 'girlfriend' of Scipio but her story is even sadder than mine." Prosper replied and then he turned to Riccio and continued, "And if you're so sure, why don't you go over and introduce yourself?"

He ran off and knocked on the door, repeatedly screaming, "SCIPIO! SCIPIO! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP!" The door flew open and Scipio's father stood there, a scowl on his face. He yelled at Riccio, "I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU WANT WITH MY SON HERE. BUT I SUGGEST, YOU LEAVE IMMEDIATELY AND TAKE YOUR DIRTY, LITTLE FRIENDS WITH YOU!" Then the door slammed in Riccio's face. He could feel hot tears coming down his cheeks. He sank against the door, crying softly. Meanwhile, inside, Scipio said, taking Penelope's hand, "You should probably go talk to Riccio. Calm him down, Penny. I will meet you at the hotel." She nodded, slipped on her jacket and walked outside. She spotted Riccio and the rest walking slowly from Fondamenta Bollani. Penelope ran up behind them and said, "You'll have to forgive Scipio's father. He does have a bit of a temper."

Riccio turned around and replied, "Scipio didn't even talk to us."

"I know, and he's sorry for that. You must understand how hard it was for us to keep a secret hidden for such a long time." Penelope replied, brushing her smooth hair with her hand. The rest exchanged uneasy looks. Prosper asked, "Why did you lie to us?"

Penelope answered, "Look, I didn't want to lie. My guardian made me change my persona when I am on the street."

Riccio asked, grinning widely, "Is your guardian Belladonna….?"

She responded, "Mancini. Yes. When she gave me the guitar, she made me change my persona as well because she's concerned for me. She always thought that I was nothing but a little troublemaker."

Riccio asked, as they got close to theater, "You will help, won't you, Penelope? With the break-in?" She shook her head and walked away. As they walked in, they saw that Victor the snoop had escaped leaving a note behind.

The note said the following.

_Victor's Word of Honor. The Hartliebs will not hear a word from me. Neither will the police unless I hear about a strange break-in. Stay out of trouble. Victor. _

Riccio looked at the note and stamped his foot in anger, saying, "Oh, we have to catch him again," then turning to face them, he continued, "and this time, I swear he's going into the canal and Scipio can go with him for all I care." Mosca looked at the note overjoyed and ran up the stairs to check out the projector. He yelled, poking his head outside of the projector room into the theater, "A film by Mosca in scratch-vision. To ends of the earth, woosh-woosh-woosh." The rest grinned and sat down to watch the movie that Mosca had made, Riccio not as ecstatic as the rest. Bo said, "Wow, look, Mosca's dad is waiting for him on an island."

Mosca continued, "Dad I've missed you so much…..I've missed you too, son. YAAYYY!" After the show was over the rest applauded and Mosca said, "He fixed it. Even the curtain and the dimmer worked."

Bo walked up to Riccio who was still sitting with his head on his elbow and said, "See, I told you Victor's our friend now."

Riccio stood up and replied, "Whoop-de-doo, your friend fixed the projector. Big deal. What about the deal with the Conte? We can't forget that just because Vic the sneak says so?"

Mosac said, looking at all of his comrades in turn, ". After the break-in, we won't need anyone. No grown-ups, no phony Thief Lord."

"We'll do it tonight. The sooner, the better. Are you in?" Hornet said, holding her hand in the middle. Riccio and Mosca put their hands in, nodding and Bo almost put his hand there before Prosper smacked it away. "Are you in, Prop?" Hornet asked, looking at Prosper.

Prosper shook his head and replied, "I have to look after Bo and plus you know me. I don't steal if I can help it." The rest all looked sad and then they all went to bed.

Meanwhile, Penelope was on her way to the hotel when she turned around and walked towards Ida Spavento's house. She needed to talk to someone who would understand her and Ida Spavento was the person. Penelope walked past a store and saw that a beautiful mother-of-pearl necklace that she always admired was gone. She muttered, seeing a person in a white- ball gown inside the store, "Belladonna? Stealing? NO." Belladonna ran out and said, stopping by her really quickly, "I am sorry." Penelope watched Belladonna disappear and sighed. She couldn't trust Belladonna anymore, because like the plant that she was named after, Belladonna was pure poison.

Well, that's it for Chapter 6. Stay tuned for chapter 7. R&R.


	7. A Mysterious Breakin and young love

Disclaimer: I don't own Thief Lord or any of the familiar characters

Disclaimer: I don't own Thief Lord or any of the familiar characters. I only own the plot, Penelope and Belladonna.

Chapter 7

A Mysterious Break-in and Young Love

Penelope was slowly walking towards Ida Spavento's house when she heard a loud noise coming from a motorboat. She put her hood up and watched as the boat sped by, carrying 4 people. "Was that just Hornet, Riccio, Mosca and Bo?" she whispered under her breath. Ida Spavento was just going home from a coffee shop when the photographer heard her name being called, "Ida!" She turned her head in the direction of the voice and saw a tall girl running towards her. "Penelope! I haven't seen you in a long time. How's it been?"

"Creepy and at the same time, sort of lovely, Ida. I find my best friend has turned to crime, my sister is dead and now my secret's been revealed." Penelope said but then asked, "How are things with you, Ida?"

The photographer responded, sipping her coffee, "I am well, _grazie_, Penelope. I am heading back home now. Why don't you come with me?" Penelope nodded and Ida wrapped her arm around the shivering girl.

Meanwhile, at Ida's house, Prosper had caught up to the rest of the group and demanded that his brother come back. Hornet who was rolling up the rope, let it down and said, "We didn't take him with us. He snuck out, followed us and threatened to wake up the whole neighborhood if we didn't help him over the wall." Prosper grabbed the rope and pulled himself up the wall. Hornet rolled up the rope and hopped down into the garden. They walked over to the door, where Mosca stood beside Bo. "I should have left you with Aunt Esther because I knew that you would have run away." Prosper said, menacingly at Bo.

Bo said, quite loudly, "I AM STAYING….."

Then Mosca put his hand over Bo's mouth, replying, "See. Don't do that again, I almost peed my pants."

From the door, they heard Riccio say, "Got it!" They walked in and wandered around the house, looking for the wing and then something incredible happened. As they walked past the living room, the doorknob turned. Mosca stopped and shined the flashlight at the door and then they saw a black-gloved hand slip around the door. "Hey, guys." They saw Scipio, in his usual clothes: the black mask, the high-heeled boots, and the black cloak. "What are you doing here?" Riccio freaked out.

"Doing my job." Scipio replied.

"Go back to your posh house 'Thief Lord'. We can easily do this by ourselves and plus you can't even send a message to the Conte because we've got Sophia, so ha!" Riccio said.

"You can keep the money, if that's what you want," Scipio said, furrowing his brow. Riccio glared at Scipio and Mosca said, "Hornet, Prop and I will look downstairs around the kitchen and the dining room, Riccio, you and Bo will check out the living room and the surrounding area."

"…and you, Thief Lord, just stay out of our way." Riccio added menacingly as he and the rest walked away, leaving Prosper standing by the door. Scipio looked at Prosper sadly, taking off his mask. He asked, "Do you understand?"

Prosper examined Scipio before he replied, "Yes and no. The others are just mad that you lied to them."

"What about you? Are you mad?" Scipio asked. Prosper didn't reply, so Scipio walked past him and ran up the stairs. Then Prosper went to tell everyone else what Scipio had done and where he had gone, when he heard Mosca say, "Whoa."

Prosper walked into the room where Mosca was shining his flashlight and he said to the rest, "Scipio went upstairs….Whoa. Why does she have so many pictures of my brother?" They were so absorbed in the pictures that they didn't notice the light flick on but they heard a voice behind them say, "What are you doing in my house?" They turned around to face a woman with blonde hair pointing a gun at her face. "For one time, I decide to go out of my house at night and when I come back, I find a bunch of little cat-burglars creeping around in my house. What are you after? My cameras?"

"No, maam, we only want the wing." Hornet said, looking sad.

"What? Ida, are you going to give it to them?" a girl asked and that was the first time they noticed that Penelope was standing beside Ida Spavento.

"Why do you want my wing and how do you know about it?" Ida said.

Penelope replied before Riccio could even open his mouth, "Ida, they only want your wing because then they can give it to a mysterious client and get money for it."

"How much money?" Ida asked, putting the gun down by the door.

Hornet replied, looking shy, "50, 000."

"Really? That's a lot of money." Ida said.

Bo peeked out from behind Prosper and said, "Not for us, because we have to pay for everything ourselves because we don't have parents and we're going to have to find a new hideout and Hornet needs new clothes and Riccio needs new teeth and Mosca needs paint for his boat and I am afraid that's not going to be enough."

Ida looked at Bo and asked, "How old are you?"

Bo responded, "Six and a quarter."

"Wow, you're young for a bunch of cat burglars. Just who is this mysterious client of yours and what does he want the wing for?" They heard a gun click and Penelope spun around to come face to face with a gun barrel. "My client wishes to contain utmost confidentiality." Scipio said, pointing the gun at Ida.

"Don't, Scipio." Hornet said.

Scipio, still pointing the gun at Ida, said, "I found the wing. It was in her room. Let's go."

"No." Prosper said.

"Fine, then, I'll deliver the wing myself and get the money." Scipio said.

Penelope looked sadly at her fiend and said, "Thief Lord, what has the crime turned you into?" Scipio didn't reply and Penelope just looked away. "Well, won't you join me downstairs and I will tell you a story about the wing?" The rest went downstairs with Ida and she stopped in front of Scipio, saying, "You are coming, aren't you, Thief Lord?" Scipio reluctantly followed Ida and Penelope down to the kitchen. The rest settled down in comfy chairs and Ida started, "Well, I heard only one version of the tale. The orphanage got a beautiful merry-go-round as a gift from a rich merchant, but before the children could enjoy it, it was stolen. The merry go round was said to have magical powers."

Penelope asked, "By whom, Ida?"

Ida shrugged and continued, "Nobody knows but all that was left was a wooden wing of a lion. The wing ended up…"

Penelope finished it for her, "…where you found it, hidden in pigeon feathers and kept it after you left the orphanage."

"Wait, you're an orphan?" Riccio asked, stupendously.

"Yes, I lived at the orphanage for more than 10 years" Ida responded.

Scipio asked, getting up from his chair and walking over to the window, "You said that the merry-go-round had magical powers. What kind of magical powers?"

Ida smiled at Scipio, "A child could go round and round on the merry-go-round and become an adult. An adult go round and round and become a child."

Scipio said, "I want to find it, and when I find it, I am going to ride on it until I am taller than my dad. Will you give us the wing?"

Ida nodded but then Riccio burst out, "Why don't you go back to that posh house you live in, 'Thief Lord'?"

Scipio replied, his tears muffled, "Because my father treats me like I am a nobody. He thinks I am nothing more than a minor nuisance or a bug splattered on the windshield of his life." Penelope stood up and walked over to Scipio, putting her arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry, Scipio. We'll find it and when we will, I'll ride it with you because I have nothing left to live for in this world." He turned around and hugged her tightly. Ida said, "I'll tell you what, I give you the wing but I come with you to give the wing to this Conte and when he pulls out of the lagoon, we will follow him because without a doubt he knows where the merry-go-round currently is."

Scipio pulled away, still keeping one arm around Penelope's waist, and replied, "We'll do what Ida says."

Riccio stood up and said, "who died and made you boss? Go back to that posh house you live in!!"

Hornet pushed Riccio down, saying, "Riccio, calm down. I am as mad with Scipio as you are but fighting isn't going to help."

Ida looked at Scipio and then at Riccio and she asked, "So, do we have a deal?"


	8. Author's Note

To all of my lovely readers,

To all of my lovely readers,

I am very busy this month and the next month. I have 15 X-men stories and 1 Narnia story started and 1 Eragon story to finish, so I am actually thinking about putting the story on summer hiatus, because I simply can't write right now. I might not even write in September because of my birthday and school among other things.

Hopefully I will be back to my usual spirits take up writing Forgotten Words yet again sometime soon.

Love ya'll, AnimeFanatic4Ever


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